Kalapse

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 8, 2009 -> 10:36 PM) I agree with you that our plan at the leadoff position has not been spectacular. I also think part of this falls on Ozzie's shoulders, since he sees some value in some of the things most of us do not, which leads to him playing Wise in the first place. Let me ask you this though, would you rather have Scott Podsednik batting leadoff for us with our starting rotation fully addressed, while acquiring guys like Alexei and Quentin over the past two years, or would you rather have had our resources diverted so that we have a better than average leadoff man, and don't have the rotation we have, or guys we have been able to sign by saving money in other places? I know you'll say there is no reason we can't have both, but I'll just counter by saying I think if there had been a way, we would have seen it by now. Finally, while you despise the positive hyperbole bestowed upon Podsednik around here, there are those of us who despise the negative hyperbole bestowed upon him just as much. Here is a guy who many people seem to think is the MVP of the team this season, and yet, he has probably been the subject of as much criticism and negative commentary as anyone on the team. And it isn't as if he is an asshole off the field and makes outrageous statements in the press or something. This is a guy that is seemingly well-liked by his manager, teammates, the fans and the press, and yet, because he has gained some positive notoriety, the sabremetric fans among us have made it their personal mission to take every opportunity possible to tear the guy down. The real truth lies somewhere in the middle, but many here cannot seem to accept that. I can't speak for anyone else but I haven't been trashing Podsednik unproved on here. If someone wants to make a lame ass argument about him being a good defender because he's not making errors or he's getting picked off more than anyone else in the game because he's just being a good aggressive baserunner then I'm going to counter that claim. I'm not taking every opportunity to tear him down - I have maybe 30 posts in PHT over the past 2 months and I know for a fact that the vast majority of them are not Podsednik related - I'm just trying to balance out the excessive praise for my own sanity. I do find it humorous that you mention sabermetrics because I've kept my evaluation of Podsednik very basic on here, pretty much sticking to the eyeball test and some very basic statistics that everyone can understand. I didn't post his EQSBR or even his WAR, I kept it simple in an attempt to make a clear point.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Oct 8, 2009 -> 10:29 PM) Beckham has too much RBI potential to bat lead-off IMO. The lead-off hitter should be Getz unless we get someone who profiles better there. I actually edited my post just as you posted this. Though all in all I'd accept Beckham in the leadoff spot for a year if it means LF and DH are filled adequately.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 8, 2009 -> 09:24 PM) You can hold the front office to whatever standard you want. But you deciding to be stubborn about it means what in the end? You and Tony get to spend all your days griping about Podsednik sucking over cold beers? Given that we have one of the most active FO's in baseball, don't you think it is incredibly likely that there just aren't many decent leadoff men available? Don't you think all the very smart people in our FO have thought what you have as well? I guess there is a possibility that acquiring a leadoff man is just Kenny's "blind spot," and he just can't seem to get this one thing right, but given all the trades he has made, all the signing he has attempted to make, I just have a hard time believing that he hasn't realized this team hasn't had a good leadoff hitter for a long time. The organization has taken actions to try and correct the problem (the draft), and undoubtedly will look into signing Mr. Figgins this offseason, but have you ever stopped to think that maybe the cost is just too great? Would you feel better if we had the best leadoff hitter since Ricky Henderson but at the cost of several other positions or areas of need? Despite all the shortcomings Podsednik has, his production versus his pay was probably one of the better deals in baseball this season. We did not lose anything this season because of Scott Podsednik. And once again, despite all the fun you guys like to have with the organization's references to "grinders," at least I could tell at the end of the season that this guy was still giving it everything he had. That's a lot more than I can say for most of the rest of these guys. They went into the season with Dewayne Wise as the leadoff man and a backup plan consisting of a rookie who probably projects out to be a pretty good utility man down the road and a 12 year old boy who thinks he's Ryan Howard. Just because it's hard to find a guy who can bat first, put up a .350+ OBP and not kill you in the other facets of the game (this is about the bare minimum one should expect a contending team's leadoff hitter to provide) doesn't mean that such a move is acceptable ('07 was nearly as bad.) Kudos to KW for finding a nice replacement 35 games in, sure he's not good at much but he put up a league average OBP for his spot in the lineup so I'm not openly complaining about his 2009 offensive production but I'm also not going to be content with them bringing him back next year since in the end I believe him to be an overall mediocre baseball player. I'm sure it's tough to find a leadoff guy and I'm sure KW is out there trying to find his man but he's not doing a very good job. What bothers me the most is the hyperbole that people use when talking about Podsednik since apparently they don't know what a truly good leadoff hitter looks like. When he's being talked about as a good option as the leadoff hitter next year because his OBP was very good for a leadoff man - despite being about average for an AL leadoff man in '09 and about 10 points higher than what OCab gave you last year in that role - and at the same time just ignoring the glaring, unacceptable shortcomings in his game or making weakass excuses for them then I'm going to get upset because it offends me as a baseball observer. If it's not possible to find a guy who can play a little defense, competently run the bases and put up an OBP of .350 or higher then go with Beckham for a year (he should provide this and more) and fill the 2 open lineup spots (LF/DH) with competent major leaguers. If push comes to shove and he's going to be in the lineup anyway stick Getz in the leadoff role, he should give you an OBP around .340.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Oct 8, 2009 -> 09:30 PM) It's ridculious how bad a rap Dotel gets. Yeah, he walked too many people, but that K rate is nothing to scoff at. Dotel finished the year with a 0.78 WPA (Win Percentage Added) meaning in the end he helped more than he hurt. Just for reference Linebrink finished with a -1.92, Thornton a 3.21 and Jenks a 0.58

Since he joined the Sox Matt Thornton has had 10 save opportunities that involved him pitching in the 9th inning (the other 17 took place between the 6th and the 8th). He's only started the 9th twice, both of those were in September of this year and he allowed 1 baserunner (a BB to Carlos Guillen) in those 2 innings of work while K'ing 4. Five other times his outing began in the 8th and continued into the 9th (not an easy situation for any closer), he blew only 1 of these saves and successfully closed out the other 4. In the 5 outings he allowed a total of 8 baserunners (only 1 BB) in 7.1 innings of work (1.09 WHIP) while striking out an absurd 13 batters, that's a 15.96 K/9. The other 3 save opps were 1/3 of an inning each, he picked up the save in each. So since '06 Thornton has had 7 save opportunities in which he went at least an inning of work and pitched into the 9th. This is what his numbers look like in those 7 games: 9.1 IP, 0.96 WHIP, 2.89 ERA, 17 K, 2 BB, 6/7 SV/SVO He's had almost no chance to prove himself in the closer's role but the little work he's gotten in those situations most common to that of a closer he's pitched very well.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 8, 2009 -> 07:26 PM) What Rosenbloom says about Pods is pretty good IMO Scott Podsednik - What does it say when a guy who’s bad on defense and worse as a baserunner considering his speed is the best this team can do at leadoff? . . . The thing that bothers me the most is the lowered expectations of the fan base, personally I hold the front office to a higher standard. No one should be content with this guy as their leadoff hitter - especially at age 34 - but years of lowered expectations have people accepting less than they should.

QUOTE (son of a rude @ Oct 8, 2009 -> 06:21 PM) When you factor scrap and grind into the equation, he is easily one of the greatest players ever. Nothing says grindy quite like leading the majors in times being picked off.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Oct 8, 2009 -> 02:27 PM) You mean the guy we signed to a one-year deal was our best outfielder this year despite all his faults? If he/she truly believes that Podsednik's awful baserunning is a product of his "aggressiveness" or that he's not a bad defensive player because he only made 2 errors then there's some sort of vision problem at play here.

And it wasn't just the unbelievably bad throw, he had Ethier dead to rights at the plate but he didn't even look towards home.

Mark DeRosa with one of the flat out worst plays I've ever seen in thebottom of the 3rd. It's going to end up costing them several runs.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Sep 21, 2009 -> 03:35 PM) Uncharted 2 comes out in 3 weeks or so and is being billed as one of the best games in a while. 9.5 from IGN last week and a 9.5 from Gamespot today. Looks like it lives up to the hype.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Oct 7, 2009 -> 12:24 PM) Do you think there's a reasonable estimate you could come up with for how much our arbitration eligible players will make, or is there just no way to tell roughly how much they will make? Jenks and Danks are fairly easy. Jenks will get around $7.5M and Danks I'd say about $3.2M. Quentin's tough, probably the same as Danks, maybe a bit less. So somewhere between $15 and $16M total for Jenks, Danks, Quentin, Carrasco and Pena.

I updated the graphic for the end of the season. Here's what you need to know: 1.) Service time and options have not been updated, they're the same as they were at the beginning of the season, the next update will address these 2.) The salaries of those players on the active roster making near league minimum weren't included, instead there is a blank red box, if I included them then I'd have to include the salaries of any player who spent a day on the active roster this year which would give an unrealistic final payroll figure 3.) The ARB and PREARB blocks for the likes of Viciedo, Hudson etc represent their future outlook based on the service number they had at the beginning of the season, not what they've accumulated this year. For example it says if Beckham stays in the majors for the next 5 years he'll be a free agent in 2015 when in reality he'd be a free agent in 2016, I did this to avoid confusion. The next update will provide a more accurate model since I'll have updated service times to base this off. There may be a few more things but I'm blanking right now. Here are your links: DIRECT LINK - 10/06/09 UPDATE

QUOTE (Princess Dye @ Oct 6, 2009 -> 12:43 PM) Apparently Octavio was a percentage point or so away from being Type A? It really shouldn't matter, they'd be foolish to offer him arbitration in either scenario.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 6, 2009 -> 12:04 AM) Southside no disrespect but did you read my post?? I'm standing up for Dye the outfielder prior to the second half of this season. He has not been a butcher out there in the past; he's been quite serviceable. I've admitted he looks like a DH now. People have been burying Jermaine saying he's always been a bum in right field and that is not the case. I'm not going to bury Jermaine just because he's the flavor of the second half to bury. At this point it just sounds like denial. Why is it that you're just taking offense to this now? I and many others - including anyone in the baseball community that looks at advanced metrics when determining a player's defensive ability - have been talking about Dye's awful defense for a few years now. You just can't be that damn slow and be effective in the outfield. He also never learned how to properly set himself up to make a throw which is why his arm is so ineffective (this one is BLATANTLY obvious). Just wait until the Sox find an everyday right fielder who doesn't move in slow motion, you'll be shocked by just how many balls should be routine but were out of the reach of our everyday RF of the past 5 years.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 04:31 PM) And why should he continue to catch s***? The season is over and he GAWN. So why kick him? People have made their point. Because people are going to want to discuss this team's failures, it's a rather natural practice that most all sports fans partake in at the conclusion of their favorite team's season. Jermaine was a large contributor to these failures so his name is going to come up. Being 35, slow and an awful defender Jermaine really had no long term value for this team unlike players such as Rios, Beckham, Pena or Peavy, his only value to this team was in the present and he failed spectacularly in that short period of time before his value to the club was to expire. Because of this he's going to catch more of the blame since the fans have no future production to look forward to concerning Jermaine.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 04:27 PM) You are not necesarily right Kalapse. JD is not the reason this team lost in 2009 Right about what? Him being the least productive? I'd like to see an argument to the contrary.

There were 2 players aged 36+ that put up a 110+ OPS+ and qualified for the batting title in 2009 (Chipper and Ibanez). There wasn't a single one in the AL and only 5 aged 34+, 3 played for the Yankees (2 lefties, 1 Jeter), 1 was Ichiro and the other was Bobby Abreu. Unfortunately for Jermaine he can't run or draw walks like Abreu, Dye has to keep up his bat speed and mash in order to reach that 110 OPS+ plateau. When basically all your value comes from a high AVG and SLG you're going to have trouble maintaining that value when you hit 35+ years of age. Unfortunately for Jermaine he can't draw walks, play defense or run the bases worth a damn like some of the other old codgers that are still producing in the game today.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 04:19 PM) He'll turn 36 before next season. I don't think that's too old, but I see what you are saying. If the Sox think he's suddenly hit the brick wall at 36 and will never hit again, fine. I just don't think so. I think he has some good hitting years left. As far as this site ... look, aren't we all in agreement he's gone?? The Sox are going to let him go. So that leaves you with two choices: Bash him or graciously talk about him. Until I get banned, I'm not going to let people treat Dye like he is horses***. He had a horrible half; so did a lot of Sox. I'm trying to lay off guys I don't like. I just hope people shut up about Dye. He's not coming back, people, so why bury him?? Jermaine was arguably the least valuable position player in the second half for a team that didn't hit or field worth a damn as they fell out of contention down the stretch, he's going to catch s*** for this as he should and you're just gonna have to learn how to deal with it.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 04:14 PM) I think Dye has good hitting left in him and he will do fine for 2 more years at least in his new home. Yes I think he slumped, struggled, whatever you want to call it. I don't know why some people get the benefit of the doubt as having an off year and will certainly rebound and a stud like Dye gets none of that same regard. Dye also has a proven track record of excellence. It's obvious he won't be back; I just hope we acquire bats to replace Dye/Thome. You know what ... we are going to miss both. Our pitching will not alone win us a division. Is there a reason why you refuse to take age into consideration?

QUOTE (knightni @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 03:14 PM) ...and Fielder is - an nonathletic-looking, soon to be DH - due for a giant Boras payday who is stuck in the NL. Who's one of the best hitters in the game, under team control for 2 years and the Brewers in no way HAVE to trade him. There's no reason to believe that he'll fall apart within the next two years so he has incredible trade value.

QUOTE (knightni @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 03:07 PM) Why not? Those guys are young vets. They'd help the staff and 1B opening. Milwaukee's issue is that they have too many young guys. So the Brewers are going to pay Jenks $7M-$8M to set up for Trevor Hoffman? Sounds like a waste of money to me. Floyd and an incredibly expensive setup man for Prince Fielder? If that's not Xbox fodder then I don't know what is.

Joe Mauer. There is no other choice.

QUOTE (League @ Oct 4, 2009 -> 11:08 AM) Asshole, yes. But moving to the bullpen may help him with the health problems. They've already tried that and it really didn't work. Brett Myers is also more than just your average asshole he's a legitimately bad guy who I refuse to cheer for.

QUOTE (Brian @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 11:14 PM) Sabathia in October, sun rises Unfortunately only 5 of the 9 runs were earned. 9 ER in 2.2 IP would have ballooned his ERA to 3.52, rather than the more palatable 3.37 that he currently holds. A 3.50+ ERA from Sabathia would have sealed the CY award for Greinke 100%, this definitely helps but I still have that tiny shred of doubt in the back of my mind. I'm thinking Zack should just go out there tomorrow, throw 7 innings of shutout ball, get his ERA below 2 and sit back and wait to collect his prize. Of course given the way this game works Zack will either give up 7 ER in the first 3 innings or he'll be pulled with 6.2 innings complete and no runs on the board putting his ERA at 1.995 for the season and I'll s*** a brick.